


The Mole

by H_potter45



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-17
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2017-12-21 18:58:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/903719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/H_potter45/pseuds/H_potter45
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>That one time when the One Direction boys become part of a reality television game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Welcome guys, I think we have some amazing news to share with you."

Harry wonders if that is a threat, or an opening to some great news. Whatever it is, he expects something big from Harry McGee. Not only his bandmates are in this room, but also their parents, girlfriends and other beloved ones. Their management had told them to bring their suitcases with them, with enough clothes for at least a month. He wonders why they would need so many clothes, as most hotels do have a washing machine these days

Next to him, Zayn and Louis are waiting for the speech with the same nervosity Harry feels. Normally, they would run around and yell at each other. Now, they are completely silent. Waiting for what is about to come.

"We have told you before that we are interested in making One Direction not only one of the biggest names in the music industry, but to expand the brand to other industries as well,'' Harry McGee starts his speech. ''This year we produced a movie that was received very well by the public..."  
  
Harry can feel how Louis is looking at him out of the corner of his eye. Harry smiles at him when he rolls his eyes. They are not a big fan of McGee, or movies that are set up from the beginning to the end. They love to make fun of both things. Harry sticks his tongue out, just a little bit. Louis' smile is everything he needs on moments like this. It doesn't matter what kind of crazy thing their team has decided this time, they will always go through it together. It's a nice feeling to know that you will never be alone.  
  
"... And now we can't wait to tell you the new thing that's coming up. We have had a couple of meetings with BBC Entertainment and it turns out that they are trying to create a new reality television show. It's actually an old show, called the Mole, which was on TV in the UK around ten years ago. It is a reality game in which people try to gain money by completing various physical and mental challenges. However, one of the players, called the Mole, is hired by the producers to sabotage the efforts of the group. Nobody knows who the Mole is, except for the Mole himself. The real challenge for the group is therefore to find out who of them the Mole is.

At the end of every episode, the players will have to make a quiz with questions about the characteristics of the Mole. The person who has got the lowest score on the test, needs to leave the game. Those are, in short, the rules of the game. You may have guessed it already, but you are going to part of this reality show. Previously, this game was played by ordinary people. It wasn't a big success in the UK, so this time, they want to play the game with famous people. And those famous people, are you and some of your beloved ones."

Everybody in the room is excited, that is obvious from their first reaction. Liam and Zayn jump in each other's arms. Niall gives him a high five. Harry is excited as well, and eager to find out about with how many people they are going to play this game. He wants to be the Mole, he has already decided. He makes a mental note to find out where to sign up for that task.  
  
"You don't need to come here and tell us that you want to be the Mole, because we have already decided about who the best person for this task is. The person will hear this after the game begins, so I suggest you don't start guessing already. Now, I will give you the names of everybody who is going to be involved in this project. You will be in a group together, but remember that in the end, you are all individuals who play for no one but themselves."  
  
McGee opens an envelope, and starts reading their names one by one. ''Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Harry Styles. And then, Gemma Styles, Lou Teasdale, Eleanor Calder, Perrie Edwards, Sophia Smit. The name of the presenter will stay secret for now, but you will meet up with this person in Formenterra. This is a beautiful island next to Ibiza, and that is where the whole game is going to take place. Guys, I wish you all the luck you need, and make a beautiful game out of it. But keep in mind, the main purpose is to make a good television show. I don't think I need to say more.''  
  
''No, uncle McGee.'' he hears Louis say next to him in a mocking voice, like a kid in school. They all know what he means. A good television show means entertainment, means doing things you shouldn't normally be doing. All to attract people, all to entertain people. This is going to be an interesting month, Harry thinks by himself. He wonders whether his image will still be the same after this television show. He wonders how many attractive girls they are going to set him up with. Probably one of the production girls, since he can't date the girlfriends of his bandmates, or his hairdresser, or his sister, for God's sake.

"Have you ever watched the show?" his favourite bandmates asks him an hour later on the phone. They are all driving in different cars to their hotel in London, where they will catch an early flight tomorrow to their destination.

"Never," he answers honestly, ''but I heard McGee say that we should form teams as soon as possible."

Louis' laugh is never unwelcome in Harry's ears, it just sounds a bit degrading sometimes.

"You really haven't watched the show, have you Harold?" he answers.

"I mean, from what I understood you will have to play for your team, but most of all for yourself. If I had known we were going to play this game, I would have searched for tactics on the internet. I don't understand anything yet." he says, failing miserably to hide the frustrated tone in his voice.

''I actually watched the game when I was younger,'' Louis tells him. ''My parents used to watch it. It is a brilliant game. I remember thinking about how it would be to play something like that in real life. I never thought it would really come to that, to be honest.''

''Who do you think they are going to ask to be the Mole?'' he asks him. Not because he thinks it is smart to talk about, but because he trusts Louis and he wants to know what he thinks. ''You do realise I could plant a lot of things in your head right now, Curly? Rule number 1, don't talk about who you think the Mole is.''  
  
Harry sighs. ''But I don't know how to play this game! I will be on the flight back to London before I can even say my name.''

"Do you want me to come over tonight? We could dicuss some strategies. We don't know yet who the Mole is anyway, so the least I can do is help you."  
  
Harry hears the part that he is not saying, wonders even if there will be some disucssion of strategies tonight. If he is being honest, he doesn't really care. An evening together with Louis is always an evening that is spend well. Besides, the last night he spend together with his bandmate was almost two weeks ago, due to Eleanor being in town. He thinks he deserves a little break.

 


	2. Chapter 2

"Welcome to Formenterra, guys."

Harry can't believe his eyes when he sees who is telling them that. 

It is Nick Grimshaw. Of course it is. Harry doesn't want to feel too happy about seeing him, but he does anyway.

They have just arrived on this beautiful island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. If Harry didn't know better, he would assume that he was on a holiday with his beloved ones.

Then, he sees how they are surrounded by cameras already. Apparently, the game has already begun.

''What a pleasant surprise,'' he hears Louis say to Zayn, when he sees Nick.

Nick ignores them, and continues talking.

"I am your presenter for the next month. I don't know who the Mole is, because I want to be able to interact with you as my friends."

Harry hears Louis giggle again when Nick says the word 'friends'. He loves him to death, but sometimes he wishes that Louis would stop being rude to his friend.

"I suggest you all go to your hotelrooms now, because we will start with the first assignment tonight. And I promise you, nobody will be sent home yet."

And those, Harry thinks, are the words that will define the rest of their weeks on this beautiful island.


	3. Day 1: A Walk in the Woods

Nick doesn't know why he took this job in the first place. He honestly can't remember.

The only thing he seems to hear all day long is that silly voice of Louis - always loud - Tomlinson. He knows exactly when the boy wakes up, and he knows exactly when the boy (finally) goes to sleep. He knows these things because Tomlinson seems to think he can't fall a sleep without the use of weed, hash, or whatever it is the boy smokes together with Zayn. Night after night he sees them together, whispering like an old married gay couple.

Therefore, he is more than happy that he is not alone with these One Direction boys. Lou, Gemma, Harry and himself are hanging out all the time, when the boys are not being filmed for the show. He sometimes wonders what it is that makes Harry so much more distant from the other One Direction members, while being so close to them at the same time. In every other group, Harry would have been the target of gossip. Louis and Zayn would not have spoken about their views on the world during the evening, but about Harry's egocentric personality. Yet, in this group, they all seem to completely accept Harry's preference to hang out with other people than themselves when they are not working. Still, Nick wonders if the tension will be too much for this group. Can a close group like this survive four weeks of competing against each other? He secretly hopes there will be a big fight somewhere during the next few weeks. And if he had to chose, it would be a fight between Harry and Louis. He would enjoy that a lot.

A loud noise comes from the other side of the breakfast table. He doesn't need to look up to know who created that noise. They - Louis and Zayn - even sleep in the same room sometimes. Nick wonders if those two boys ever get enough of each other. He wonders if Eleanor thinks it is normal that Louis would rather spend the night talking to his friend than with her. He wonders if it never creates fights between the people involved in the triangle, or should he say, square, that Louis seems to be the center of. Their roles in this square are pretty clear to him, even after spending only one week together with these people.

Eleanor is fighting for Louis' love, Zayn is fighting for Louis' loyalty, and then there is Harry, who just seems to be fighting for _him_. Never _with_ him, though. At least not when Nick sees them together. They are not spending much time together, but it is clear that the bond between the two of them isn't less stronger because of that. Nick is pretty sure Louis would happily throw Eleanor into the sea if it meant he could safe Harry from some sort of terrible death. He is not so sure whether Louis would throw his friendship with Zayn away just like that, but he is sure that Harry means quite a lot to the little lion. Even if Nick doesn't like to admit it.

"Guys, tonight you are going to play a very special game. Listen carefully, because I am only going to give you the description once." he says to the group. "In about ten minutes, you will be brought into the woods. In this game, every person is on their own. If you want to win, you will need to find each other. Two people will not come with you into the woods, they will stay here and give you directions through these mobile phones that lead you to a lot of money. The only problem is, all people need to finish together in three hours at this spot, or you will not make any money at all. So, try to find the envelopes with money, but try to find each other as well. Good luck, guys! You will need it.'' and with these last words, Nick leaves them alone.

Every person in the game has his own camera robot that follows the person around everywhere. On one large screen in the middle of the production room, he can see the part that they are going to use for the television show later that night. He only needs to focus on that one screen to know what's going on. Seated with a cup of coffee, he tries to enjoy the show.

"So, who is going to stay here?" Liam asks the rest of the group.

"I would like to stay here," Harry offers immediately.

"Well, I think we need someone tactical, Harold. And I don't think your place is behind a mobile phone, cause I would be asleep before you could give us any direction." Louis teases him.

"He is right, Harry." Gemma agrees. "I would say, let Gemma stay behind, cause she is smart." Louis continues his sentence, after which Gemma gives him a high five.

"And I think it would be fair if she choses the person she wants to stay here with." Gemma thinks for a moment, and smiles at him.

"I don't want to stay here with my brother. Cause he would probably run around and let me do all the work..." Nick hears some voices agree with her. Poor boy.

In the end, Gemma choses Lou to stay with here. Which is not the most tactical decision, if you would ask Nick, but he is not the one playing this game. Lou didn't know anything about the game before she was asked to come with them, so naturally she is not the most competitive player. Not like Louis, Gemma, Zayn or Eleanor are. Those four are in this game to win, so far is clear.

Harry is a good underdog, if he is being honest. Especially Louis and Gemma bring up a very competitive side in the boy, whether he is in a team with them or playing against them. He could actually be really dangerous, if he really tried to play the game. But most of the time, Harry is just enjoying his time on the beautiful island.

Louis, on the other hand, is playing every game with all his energy. It is obvious that he took part in this game to win and nobody seems to be surprised about that. His enthusiam is probably the only reason why Eleanor cares about the game. On their first night in Formenterra, Nick had heard them talk about being the couple to go the finals. There is a sort of a second game going on between the couples in the game. Louis and Eleanor are on their way to win the imaginary price of best couple in the game. Best couple, Nick thinks by himself, but definitely not the strongest team. That price would be for two other people.

"I hate dark woods," he hears Harry's voice from out of nowhere.

"I hate darkness, and I hate it even more when I am alone in the woods."  
  
The people in the production room all smile because they can see Harry's frightened face on the screen. He really doesn't seem to like this.  
"Good, I am going to try and find my way through the dark. Gemma, if you see this," and they all see how he picks his phone out of his pocket before he throws it into the dark. "I am really sorry, but at this moment I am not interested in your money, I just want to find my way back." The smirk on his face tells them that he wasn't interested in the money in the first place, probably waiting for the other guys to come up with all the money, while Harry is patiently waiting together with the crew and a cup of tea.

Then, the screen shows Louis, who is already walking and talking to Gemma on the phone. Of course he is. "Where do you want me to go? To the north? And how do I know which direction north is, love? I mean, I could try to use the compass on me arm, but I don't know whether it's working or not." Then he finds out that there is an actual compass on his phone. "Gemma, can you please tell me who the person closest to me on the map is? I'd like to try and find that person, cause I bet some people are deliberately going to mess up." The screen shows Gemma now, standing in the production room with a map in her hands. "The person closest to you is either Liam or Harry, depends on whether you walk in the right direction or not. But you should be able to find them if you keep walking to the north."

Nick smiles when he sees where this is going. If Louis finds Harry in the woods, who is walking around without really participating in the game, he will be furious. Nick has seen how Louis behaves when he sees people not giving their full participation to the game.

Two hours later, Nick knows that Louis didn't find Harry. In fact, he went searching for Liam straight away. Nobody has heard anything from Harry, while all other people, except for Sophia, have already found their way back to the spot where Nick is.

"Gemma, why don't you just try to contact Harry and Sophia?" he hears Louis ask in a soft voice. It is probably the first time Nick has heard that voice from Louis.

"My little brother thought it was funny to cut me off right away. I haven't heard anything from him. Sophia knows where she has to be. She will be here in around half an hour." Gemma answers.

Nick can feel the irritation right away, even though Louis doesn't say anything about it.

A few minutes later, he hears Louis talk quietly to Zayn."I mean, I get that he doesn't like to be in the woods all alone. But why would he cut Gemma off? I would call her and be like, bring me back to that spot," he hears Louis say, with a hint of a smile in his voice. Apparently, even Louis can appreciate this stupidity of Harry, who hates the woods but is now still walking around on his own.  
  
"Unless he's the Mole, mate," Zayn answers. Nick is pretty sure he is the only one in the room who hears them talking. He thinks about that for a few seconds, the thought of Harry being the Mole. It would explain why Harry is not giving his full attention to any of the games they have to play. The Mole doesn't want the group to have any money, that is basically his role. What if Harry is actually trying to keep the group from gaining money by cutting himself off from the rest of the group? But wouldn't that be too obvious? Everyone would suspect him from being the Mole.

"Shouldn't we go out and look for him?" Louis asks the rest of the group, when Sophia has found the spot back as well. "I mean, assuming that he is lost and trying to find his way back, it would be kind of selfish to not go looking for him." he continues.  
The rest of the group doesn't look too excited by the idea of going back into the dark woods to find Harry. But they also realise, that without Harry they will also gain no money.

After a minute of silence, Liam is the one who offers to go back to look for Harry.

"I will go with him," Niall says. The Irish man was the first to actually reach the spot, so Nick assumes that he knows how to read his compass.

"Okay guys," Louis says, "You two go searching for him. And if you don't find him, don't forget to come back before the three hours are finished!" he says.  
  
"I will let you know as soon as Harry walks in," Gemma says. "And I will give you directions if you need them, and I will make sure you come back on time."

Ten minutes after Liam and Niall have gone into the woods again, Harry comes walking in.  
He looks a bit terrified, but also relieved to be out of the dark woods.  
"Harry!" Louis shouts at him, before running over to give him a hug. When Nick sees how Harry is slowly coming back to earth, he realises that he didn't do this on purpose.  
"How can you be so stupid, Haz?" he hears Louis say to him. "I mean, if you didn't want to find the other people, that's fine. But cutting of Gemma means being on your own."  
"I know that now, but thanks for the information, Lou." Harry answers him in a sarcastic voice, but it's clear to Nick that he is happy to have Louis arms around him.

Gemma, after hugging Harry as well, immediately tries to contact Liam through her telephone.  
No answer.  
  
After five minutes, she tries again. The boys have only fifteen more minutes to find their way back.  
But again, there is no answer.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Nick knows tells them that they haven't made any money in this game.  
It's the first time that he is actually feeling a bit of sympathy for the group, who did the best they could.  
  
The question is, where did this go wrong?

-

_I don't know what happened today, to be honest. I don't know why Harry got rid of his telephone the first moment he was on his own. I also don't understand why Niall was so eager to go with Liam. Apparently, they lost their phone somewhere in the woods. Either someone stole it from them when they were still with the rest of us, or they lost their phone on purpose. Nobody around here is a master thief, as far as I know, and nobody here had a reason to steal that phone, because nobody of us could have excepted Liam and Niall going into the woods again. If you'd ask me, one of those two has been trying to mess with us._

_-Gemma_


	4. Day 2: A Game of Truth

''Goodmorning, love.'' Louis says to him when he walks into Harry's room.

''I am sure you slept like a baby after last night.'' he continues while crawling next to Harry in bed.

The soft look in his eyes is everything Harry needs on a morning like this.  
Harry has missed him. When they are on tour, they have a bit more time to catch up with each other.  
Normally, they share a dressing room whenever they can. It's the only moment they can really spend some time together.

Harry hasn't been seen together with Louis in public since a football match last year, in Manchester.  
It had been a conscious decision to avoid being seen together, but Harry hates every part of it.

It doesn't take Louis long to go sit on top of Harry, his legs on either side of Harry's body.  
It does some things with Harry's body, but he tries to ignore it.

''Speak, Lou.'' he tells him, his hands on Louis bum. ''What happened last night in the group?''

It takes the other person some time to answer.  
''It seems like we are not the only people messing around with the group.''  
  
''So it wasn't you messing around with the phones? What a shame, Lou.''  
  
''I know, baby.'' he answers in a rough voice, while placing his head on Harry's shoulder. It creates some friction, which is just what Harry needs.

''Any suspicions?'' Harry asks. The situation with his crotch is getting more and more obvious, but he still manages to focus his attention on the pathetic game they are playing.

''Whoever it was, this person used the situation for his own advantage. I am pretty sure Liam and Niall wouldn't have found their way back anyway. That's the risk they took by going into the woods again to find you. But this person wanted to make sure that they wouldn't come back. So it was either Niall or Liam, or it was one of the group. If it was one of the group, this person must have used the time between me saying that we needed to go back for you and Liam and Niall leaving, to take their phone away.''

''Is there anybody in the group who is capable of doing such a thing?'' He asks Louis, while slowly undressing him.  
  
''Zayn would be able to do that, I think.'' Harry is a bit surprised by his answer. Louis isn't the type to betray the trust of his best friend. If anything, he would be the one to protect his best friend at any cost.

But Louis continues, ''He was the one who decided that you had to be the Mole. You weren't even gone for two hours when he said to me that you were acting suspicious enough to be the Mole.  
It must be someone who is quick enough to take a phone away. Lou had the opportunity, because she was nowhere to be seen. I am not sure about whether she did anything at all in those three hours. Gemma was too busy talking to me and trying to call you and Sophia. So that leaves me, Perrie and Eleanor. I can see Perrie taking a phone away, but Eleanor is more straight forward. She wouldn't steal a phone, I think.'' Louis answers.

''I could see you stealing a phone, though.'' Harry says. His attention is completely on Louis, now.  
  
''Me too. I could even see myself letting someone jerk me off, in order to get some information from him.'' Louis answers in a mysterious voice.

Harry takes that moment to kiss him. ''Maybe you should try that with Eleanor,'' he whispers back.

Louis jeans are finally off then, and he slides a hand into Louis' boxer. When he's found a good rhytm, it doesn't take him long to get Louis shut his mouth.  
  
His dick is telling him that Louis' ass needs to stay exactly where it is, but Harry knows that they are expected to be downstairs for breakfast in about fifteen minutes.  
  
  
''Why did you throw your phone away last night, little brother?'' Gemma asks him while they are having breakfast.

Why are you all so annoyingly stupid, Harry thinks by himself.  
  
The breakfast table is organized so that everybody can listen to the conversation. This is the place where they can all talk to each other, where they can throw stuff at each other, and where they can try to eat some breakfast between all those moments.

''Because he is trying to take our money away,'' he hears Zayn whisper to Liam.

''Yes, bit suspicious, wasn't it curly?'' Louis says.  
  
''He was just afraid,'' Eleanor tries to defend him. ''I didn't like the woods either.''

Harry is a bit surprised by the fact that Eleanor is trying to help him. So far, she has always chosen Louis side in every discussion. Apparently, that's what allies do.

He pulls Eleanor to his side. ''Why don't you just break up with him?'' he asks her, loud enough for the others to hear his joke.  
  
''Break up with me?'' Louis says, ''No mate, we're going to the last episode together. And there we will fight against each other. But not before.''  
  
''That makes the three of them going to the last episode, then.'' Zayn says in a sarcastic voice. ''Louis and Eleanor as the last contestants, Harry as the Mole.''  
  
''It's not fair that Louis is teaming up with other people!'' Gemma says out of nowhere, her mouth full with bread. ''If me and Louis would team up together, you wouldn't stand a chance!''  
  
''I wish he would team up with me,'' Harry says. ''Cause then I would actually have a chance to survive this first episode. But nobody wants to be my friend, I guess.''

He is laughing at all of them in his head.  
They all believe that Harry is a lazy person who just likes to chill on Formentera. He is quite sure his mum wouldn't believe that for a second.  
It is easy to play tricks on them. Even Gemma, who is keeping an eye on everyone, isn't exspecting her little brother to be the one who is actually trying to ruin their game.

The first night in Formentera, he had spoken with Louis. His bandmate had told him that he didn't want to be his ally, because he couldn't do that to Eleanor. Harry remembered him saying those exact words before, in another situation.  
From that moment, it was clear to Harry which person he could trust in this game. He had decided that, even if Louis wouldn't share information with him, he needed someone to talk to. Louis is smart, he knows how to play this game, and he wouldn't lie to him.

Now, a week later, Harry and Louis are not only sharing information with each other. They are also teaming up to ruin the games of other people.  
By placing the label of Mole on Harry's head, they have time to figure out who the real Mole is.  
In the meantime, their bandmates will all vote for him being the Mole. Which means they will be sent home before they even have a chance to think about who the real Mole is.

Louis is playing his own little game, Harry figured out. He acts like he is Eleanor's ally.  
The guy had used their first evening to come up with an idea for being the first couple to reach the finale of the Mole.  
Eleanor had loved the idea, of course she did. So, while Louis is using her to create the image of steady boyfriend and girlfriend, Louis isn't telling her anything she doesn't need to know.  
  
  
''The next game is going to be a very special one,'' the presenter starts his sentence. ''This game is all about friendship and trust. Because, how well do you know the other people of the group? You will all get ten questions about another member of the group. For each question answered correctly, you will get 100 points. More points means more money for the group. The three people who have the most correct answers, will get a free ticket to the next episode. You will have to answer all of the questions in front of the person they are about. After that, the other person will answer ten questions about you.''

He places a little box in front of them. ''You will all pick one piece of paper out of this box. On the piece of paper is written a name. This is the name of the person you will answer the questions about. When I give the sign, one of you will step forward and take the first name out of the box.''

There is some discussion going on in the group, before it is decided that Lou will be the first to pick a name.  
When it is finally Harry's tun to pick a name, there are only three names left in the box. He knows that there is a realistic chance for him to get the free ticket. There are at least three people in this group with whom he is close enough to know their answers in a heart beat.

It is therefore a bit of a shock when he sees the name 'Eleanor' written on his paper. How on earth is he supposed to answer questions about her? He knows next to nothing about her!  
The only thing he knows is that she is Louis' girlfriend. He also knows that she is a smart and sweet girl. And he guesses that she is not very sensitive or jealous, otherwise she would have found out the truth a long time ago. Harry doubts the questions will be about her personality or relationship, though. God, he doesn't even remember what the girl is studying.

''Oh,'' he hears Nick voice again, ''Did I tell you about the trust part? I don't think so. Can we possibly ask you to answer all these questions correctly? No, I hear you think, we can not. So, why don't you ask one of your mates to help you out? You know the name of the person on your paper. Pick one person whom you trust, or who simply knows this person best. He or she can help you answering the questions. Or, this person can give you the wrong answers and make sure you don't get the free ticket. Have fun guys!''

Harry is pretty positive he hates him and his cheery voice.

He has to answer ten questions about Eleanor. In front of Eleanor. While he doesn't know her. Who does he trust in this game? Louis. Who is Louis? Eleanor's boyfriend. So what will happen if he choses Louis to help him? Louis will screw him over. Because he is still Eleanor's ally, and he doesn't want her to doubt his sincerity.

And that is when Harry understands what he has to do. Does he need the free ticket? Nope, he doesn't think so. If he doesn't survive the first episode without this ticket, how will he survive the rest of the episodes? Does he need people to think that Louis is playing against him? Yes. It all fits in the little mind fuck they are playing.

''Harry!'' Nick walks over to him, ''It is your turn now. Come with me, please. And bring the person you trust with you.''

When they arrive in the room, Eleanor is already sitting at the other side of the table. A creepy smile on her face. She knows she is going to win this part.

''Remember, Harry. These are all questions Eleanor answered before knowing what they would be used for,'' Nick tells him.

When they are all seated, the lights in the room are turned off.

Great, it makes it so much easier to communicate with Louis without words in a dark room.

Eleanor starts reading the first question. He tries to concentrate. He can at least try to answer some questions.

''What is the feeling I like the most?'' her sweet voice asks him. God, he hates her so much.

He has to think about this question. Feels it is too early to ask Louis for help. It's such a general question, he doesn't even know if Louis would know the answer.

''The feeling of love,'' he answers in a dreamy voice. Everybody likes love, so it's a good guess.

''The feeling of happiness,'' Louis says in a soft voice.

Is he already trying to mess this up for Harry? He didn't even ask him to help him.

''You reckon?'' he asks. He needs to hear more from Louis before deciding whether he wants to trust him.

But Louis decides not to answer him anymore. Damnit.

He goes with it anyway, cause he wants know which game Louis is playing.

''The feeling of happiness is my final answer,'' he says.

''Correct,'' Nick says in a deep voice. Harry didn't even realise he was still standing in the same room.

He hates darkness.

''What is my favourite colour?'' the witch in angel disguise asks him.

He tries to picture her again. She seems like the type of girl who would like the colour yellow. A bit different, but not too much.

This time, he decides to ask Louis for his opinion.

''Purple,'' he mumbles in his beautiful high-pitched voice. Louis never mumbles.

''Yeah, well. I reckon it's yellow.'' he answers, not listening to his advice. ''Final answer.''

''Incorrect,'' Nick says.

If Harry could only see Louis' face, he would know instantly whether he was playing with him or not.

''Next question,'' Eleanor says in her sweet honey voice, ''How long have I and Louis been dating?''

Harry can't believe it. He knows everything about when they started dating, when Louis asked her to be his girlfriend, for god's sake, he even knows when they had sex for the first time.

But he hates the question, he hates the answer and he hates the girl. If people only knew what kind of jealous creature he was.

''I have no idea, Eleanor,'' he answers, trying to sound like he doesn't care about her love life. He knows he actually sounds a bit cold, but he doesn't care. The girl should know what mess she has made of his life.

It costs him 100 points, but he feels very pleased after that.

''Not bad,'' Nick tells him after he has answered the ten questions about Eleanor. Four out of ten. That is pretty good.''

''If Louis would have helped me, I would have had a 100%.'' Harry answers.

''Don't you dare to help her to 100%,'' he warns him before sitting down at the other end of the table. It's Eleanor's turn now.

''Okay, first question is, how many times have I been in love?''

He can feel her doubt. In her eyes, he is a guy who sleeps with a lot of women. Nobody has ever tried to talk that picture out of her head, he is kind of sure about that.

''Never,'' she answers. ''You have never been in love.'' She sounds quite sure of herself. Harry has to give her that.

Louis doesn't say anything. Harry knew he wouldn't.

''Incorrect.''

Harry hopes she doesn't see the white of his teeth blink in the dark.

''Second question,'' he says, ''What is my favourite place to be?''

''I have no idea!'' she says. ''Louis, do you know this?''

''Probably the US or England. One of those two,'' his bandmate answers.

''America,'' she answers. Damnit.


	5. Day 3: A Collision in the Water

Why do you always figure out the true characters of your friends under difficult circumstances?

Why are the most intense memories you share with your beloved ones not feelings of happiness, but feelings of pain or anxiety?

Sure, their management had told them that it would not be an easy trip. That it would not be fun and games the entire time. But, instead of taking their advice seriously, Louis had laughed and wondered how a trip to a beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea would ever not be easy?

After years of living a fast-paced life, of never knowing where he was going to be the next day, this trip was supposed to be his well-deserved vacation. A vacation that he would spend being surrounded by the people that he loved.

At least, that was what he thought when he stepped out of the airplane. Now, he is not so sure anymore.

During breakfast, Nick had told them to bring their swimwear and come to the beach where they would shoot the second episode of The Mole. This would be the first episode in which someone of their group would be eliminated at the end of the day.

At that moment, some people in the group had finally realised that they were not here on a vacation, but that they had to make an effort if they wanted to stay on the island.

Louis did not belong to that part of the group. Competitive was not the right word to describe his personality.  Unfortunately for his teammates, Louis did not know any boundaries. He was on this island to win. So no, Louis was not surprised when Nick had told them about the elimination. He might have been one of the few people who had looked happy, knowing that some of the weak players would be gone in a few days.

When Louis found himself in a boat, sitting between Eleanor and Zayn, he had known that they were in a strong team. Him, his girlfriend and his best friend. They would be loyal to each other, while crushing the other teams into the sea. No mole behaviour in this boat, he had been very sure about that.

That was, until he heard the assignment: full immunity was granted to the team that was the first to get all other team members off their boat, into the water. However, there was one rule: if a member from another team touched your boat, you had to throw one of your own team numbers off the boat and the other team member would be added to the team. All boats had a captain, who would always stay on the boat to make sure it was going in the right direction.

Louis, as the captain of their boat, realised that if one member of another team would reach their boat, he would have to make a decision about whether to throw Zayn or Eleanor into the sea. It placed him in a terrible position, because he would have to choose between two of his loyal friends in the group. Throwing a person off meant that this person would lose his or her immunity and might be going home.

"Louis, you need to see this," Eleanor said to him, pointing her finger to the boat that Liam, Perrie and Niall were on. Instead of navigating to the other boats, Liam was navigating the boat in their direction.

"It seems like we are going into combat, sailors," Louis joked.

The only way to attack one of the other boats was by pointing a laser gun at their boat. If they were shot, a red light would go off, signaling that were hit by the enemy.

A few minutes later, their light was red.

  
"Why did you do it?"

"It wasn't a conscious decision, I just had to choose."

"I understand that, but why me?"

Louis tries to tell him. About his relationship with Eleanor, about the chances of her never forgiving him if he chose her.

"It is a game. To her, it is not a game though. You will forgive me, she wouldn't have."

"If it was a game, you could have chosen her. Clearly, it wasn't just a game to you."

If Louis had only known that he would have to betray his best friends during this TV-show.

"I don't know what to say to you. You knew I would chose her, didn't you?"

''I know. And I didn't expect you to give up your relationship with her. But for your sake, I hope I will be eliminated this evening. Because if I am not send away from this island tonight, I promise that the rest of this game will be a living hell for you."

He slams the door when he leaves.

  
Everybody is angry with him. Louis just didn't know they would take it all so personally. Was this the drama the producers were talking about?

"Salt, please." Zayn tells him. It almost sounds nice, so he passes him the salt.

"Oh no, wait." he is told the moment he tries to give the salt to him. It falls on the ground. "Thanks, but I don't need the salt. You know, I have a rather salty taste in my mouth from when you pushed me into the sea."

"Zayn," he starts, but he is cut off by Nick who tells them that the elimination is in ten minutes.

"If I am going home tonight, I will not forgive you," are the last words he hears from Zayn.

And yes, maybe he can understand why Zayn is acting like Louis has murdered his sister. See, Zayn can't swim. So when he fell into the water, there was really no chance for him to reach another boat again. Therefore, he was one of the people who were not granted full immunity. Louis, Eleanor and Niall however, did receive full immunity.

Louis should not feel nervous when he walks outside for the elimination. He can't be eliminated tonight, no matter how many questions about the Mole he answered incorrect.

So why is he feeling like a part of his life depends on the results of this elimination?  
  
"Welcome to the first elimination in this season of the Mole," Nick begins. "Tonight, the person who answered the least questions right about the Mole will be sent home. If you get a red screen, you will immediately leave the island. If you get a green screen it means that you will stay for at least another two days. Is there someone who wants to volunteer?"

Harry raises his hand. Louis wishes he didn't. It means he will know sooner if he has made a decision with major consequences or not.

"Harry, I will type your name into the computer now."

Louis can't focus on the screen in front of him. Instead of that, he keeps looking at the expression on Harry's face.

A weight lifts from his chest when he sees how the expression on Harry's face changes to a relieved one.

"Well done, mate," he tells him. It seems like the first time after the boat incident that Harry doesn't ignore him. "Thanks Lou," he says, before the expression on his face changes back to something more determined. "I meant what I said, though. I will make this game a living hell for you as long as we're on this island."

Louis is too happy to even care about those threats.

He knows that his evening can still be ruined by Zayn's screen, though.

"Lou, you are the next person who will see a screen," Nick announces.

"Good luck darling," he tells her. Lou is not a great player, but they would definitely miss her is she wasn't around anymore.

He can't say it is unexpected when Lou gets a red screen.

It feels bad, but Louis is just very happy that he didn't ruin someone's games by taking their immunity away from them.

When they have all hugged Lou goodbye, he goes up to Harry;

"Are you alright," he asks him, while putting his arm around him.

"About you betraying me today? Or about one of my best friends leaving the island?" Harry answers with a sad look on his face.

"Both will heal in time, I guess," he says after a short silence.

It feels weird to see the first person leave Formenterra.

 

* * *

   
_Was it mean to make Louis choose between the people who are dear to him? Maybe. But the producers wanted to see drama and since drama is my specialty, I decided to give them a little bit of drama. Did I expect him to choose his girlfriend over Zayn? Yes. However, nobody expected that another person would let himself be voluntary betrayed as well. Harry's drama teacher taught him well._

_~ The Mole_


End file.
